Folding gripper control means in rotary printing machines



y 4, 1961 P. DIETRICH 2,991,072

FOLDING GRIPPER CONTRO EANS IN ROTARY PRINTING MA NES Filed Feb. 25, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 1 5 Ag \gy v a ms v INVENTOR PAUL DIETRICH BY JWKUW ATTORNEYS y 4, 1961 P. DIETRICH 2,991,072

FOLDING GRIPPER CONTROL MEANS IN ROTARY PRINTING MACHINES Filed Feb. 25, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR PAUL DIETRICH Mfm AT TORN EYS *Paul Dietrich, Augsburg, Germany, j enfabrik Augsburg-Numberg A.G.,' Augsburg, Ger- "iwm i w It has also become.

1 copies having I Still another FOLDING GRIPPER CONTROL MEANS N j ROTARY PRINTING MACHINES assignor to Mas'chinany t Y Filed,Feb.25,1958,Ser.N0.l17,504

Claims prioriybapplication Germany Mar. 9, 1957 laims. (c1. 270-11 folding grippers in rotary printing machines by moving back and forth in predetermined regular intervals a folding jaw ,and by providing anotherljjaw as a spring plate. {This device is,.however, unsuitable .for processing copies consisting of a great number of sheets as the introduction of the Unitsd fiat fllateifltQ 2 FIGURE 5 is a cross sectional view of the foldingcylindcr with the folding gripper control means of the pres- ,ent invention, taken along lines V -QV' of FIGURE 4; 'j'ffFIGURE 6 is an elevational view of a portion of 'a clawflcoupling having a slight play between v,the'c' oupling rneinbers used with the folding gripper control means folding blade between the folding jaws will deform the spring plate and, as a result, an irregular fold will be produced.

known to construct a device in which one folding jaw is resiliently disposed on the folding cylinder, but this device can be used :only for a small number of sheets. folding device'envisages a counter-current movement of the folding jaw andthe counter jaw relative to one another. However, this construction is unsatisfactory because the moving counter jaw may result in a tearing of the point holes in thesheets passed between the jaws. g

It is .the object of the present inventionto provide a control device for adjusting the folding grippers in rotary printing machines, which guarantees a regularfoldwir respective of the number of sheets processed inone .operation, and without causing damageto the sheets.

I This object is achieved by the device of the present invention according to which the folding jaw and the counter jaw do not bend even if comparatively thick copies are passed therebetween. Both jaws are rotatably mounted on support tubes and are equipped with resilient means allowing the jaws to yield to a predetermined extent without bending. Adjustable stop members are provided determining the extent to which the jaws are allowed to yield. It is, for example, possible to connect the jaws with their respective support tubes via a torsion bar and a claw coupling disposed in the interior of the support tube, with the one end of the torsion bar being fastened to the support tube and the other end being mounted at the folding jaw, means being provided at the latter location for readjusting the torsion bar.

The invention will be more fully appreciated upon the following description of the accompanying drawings, wherein FIGURE 1 is a cross sectional partial view of the folding cylinder of a rotary printing machine receiving in an excavation the folding grippers, used in connection with the folding gripper control :means of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a partial side view of the folding cylinder in a rotary printing machine, with some of the elements of the folding gripper control means of the present invention;

FIGURE 3 is a longitudinally sectional view of the folding gripper control means of the present invention, taken along lines III-III of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is an elevational view of the folding cylinder and its mounting in a rotary printing machine with the folding gripper control means of the present invention;

of the present invention. v

Referring now to the drawings somewh'atfm'ore in detail; thefolding blade 2 is disposed on the cylinder 1 in a' manner known per se. The folding cylinder 5 is rotatably, positioned in. roller bearings 27- mountedon a support'frame 26. It is driven' by a driving fwheelZS and. bears the folding grippers consisting of the jaw '3 f and the counter jaw 4 which extend over the entire length ofthe folding cylinder 5 and are positioned in an ex- .-ca,vation -5a thereof. Both the jaw 3 and the counter jaw, 4' are each rotatably mounted on: a support tube. [In the-drawings, this isshown with regard to. the jaw. 3 [rotatably mounted on the support tube 8, which, in turn, .is .p'o sitioned in the bearing 9 of the first bearing cover .10 of the cylinder 5. The jaw 3 is provided with a tubular elongation-3a which is rotatably positioned in a hearing 12 of the other bearing cover 11 of the cylinder '5. The jaw 3 and, accordingly, the counter jaw 4 which is .mounted in an entirely analogous manner, can thus b rotated about axes 6 and 7, respectively. 4 Inside of the support tube there is provided a torsion bar 13 fixedly connected with one end 8a of the support tube8 withits first end 13b, as at 13a. The other end of the torsionbar 13 firmly grips the inner wall of a sleeve 14 by means of a serration13c. The sleeve 14 isconnected with the tubular prolongation 3a of the jaw {through a claw coupling 15 and to the support tube through another claw coupling 16 having coupling members 16a and 16b. The claw coupling 16 is disposed between the sleeve 14 and the support tube 8 with a slight .playas at 16c and simultaneously serves as a stop member for the jaw 3. l

Furthermore, the support tube Shows a lever 17 on which there is mounted the roll 18 driven by an eccentric 25, and another lever 19 supporting a spring 20 holding roll 18 in position.

The counter jaw 4 is mounted in an entirely analogous manner and is provided with the corresponding elements. However, the support tube of the counter jaw 4 bears instead of the levers 17 and 19 a lever 21 resting against an adjusting screw 22 which simultaneously serves as a stop member. The lever 21 can be arrested by a locking screw 23. By adjusting the screw 22 the play between the jaw 3 and the counter jaw 4 can be adjusted at will. A scale 24 is provided for controlling this adjustment.

The jaw 3 of the folding grippers is opened and closed relative to the resilient but otherwise stationary counter jaw 4 in predetermined intervals so as to allow for the introduction of the folding blade 2. The jaw 3 is opened by means of the eccentric 25 fixedly mounted at the frame 26 and the roll 18 moving along the periphery of the eccentric 25. The movement of the roll 18 is communicated to the jaw 3 via the lever 17, the support tube 8, the claw coupling 16, the sleeve 14, the claw coupling 15 and the tubular prolongation 3a. The spring 20 returns the jaw 3 to the closed position.

Resiliency is imparted to both the jaw 3 and the counter jaw 4 by the torsion bar inside of the support tube and therefore a satisfactory fold is obtained irrespective of the thickness of the copies passed between the jaws.

It will further be understood that this invention is sus- 

